The Ones: AzChike’s “HOW”

With artists releasing songs at a fast and furious pace it’s difficult for the average hip-hop head to keep track of it all—no matter how tapped in they are. That’s why we created The Ones, a daily post to highlight the song you need to hear curated by the Levels team. We sort through all the new songs—across all the platforms and subgenres—so you don’t have to. Thank us later.

AzChike - “HOW”

Somewhere in between the larger than life personalities of One TakeBoyz and Blueface and the brooding, intoxicated music of Drakeo the Ruler and the Stinc Team, lies South Central’s AzChike. The emerging L.A. rapper has found success in the scene by being adept at toeing this middle ground. He has the dexterity to spit about street life in L.A. in a way that doesn’t romanticize its harsh realities, while still remaining loose enough to pivot from those heavy topics to raps about his Instagram DMs blowing up (“How you text me off that app but you blocked?”).

On “HOW” AzChike jumps on signature L.A. production that incorporates crisp finger snaps, brisk piano keys, and a heart-pounding bass, to speak on the everyday ridiculousness he witnesses in his city. AzChike is often humorously overdramatic, finding himself disgusted at the way he sees his peers carrying themselves: “What’s the matter with these broke niggas?/Don’t get mad cause you broke nigga.” And then, in an instant, he can tap into a jittery flow and rap about South Central in a more serious manner that still manages to keep his dark humor intact: “How you gangster but you signed with your opps?/How I’m lonely but I’m hangin’ with this chopp.” It’s a balance that has made AzChike into one of L.A.’s most promising rising stars.